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Maps · head to head

AllTrails vs Potree

AllTrails logo

AllTrails

Maps

Discover the best hiking and biking trails

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Potree logo

Potree

Maps

Open source WebGL viewer for publishing very large point clouds in a browser

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AllTrails the App Store listing shows AllTrails is a free download with an in-app Pro subscription; the visible listing text does not state the Pro price, so the reader must check in-app purchases for the current rate.; Potree there is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • They diverge on capability: AllTrails covers Trail discovery, Potree covers Octree streaming.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AllTrails and Potree actually diverge.

Attributes where AllTrails and Potree differ
AttributeAllTrailsPotree
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsIos, Android, WebWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Maps).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AllTrails

  • Trail discovery
  • Offline maps
  • GPS navigation
  • Activity recording
  • Trail reviews
  • Apple Health
  • Garmin
  • Apple Watch

Only in Potree

  • Octree streaming
  • Large dataset rendering
  • Measurement tools
  • Clipping and profiles
  • Annotations
  • Attribute colouring
  • PotreeDesktop
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AllTrails

  • Trail discoverynot Potree
  • Hiking navigationnot Potree
  • Outdoor fitness trackingnot Potree

Potree

  • A drone survey firm delivering a point cloud to a client who has no desktop software, by publishing a browser viewer link instead of a 40 GB LAZ filenot AllTrails
  • A heritage or archaeology project publishing a scanned site for public access without paying per-gigabyte hosting to a commercial platformnot AllTrails
  • An engineering consultancy embedding a point cloud viewer inside its own client portal without licensing a commercial web viewernot AllTrails
  • A university or research group that needs measurement and profiling in a shareable viewer for a dataset too large to emailnot AllTrails

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AllTrails

  • The App Store listing shows AllTrails is a free download with an in-app Pro subscription; the visible listing text does not state the Pro price, so the reader must check in-app purchases for the current rate.

Potree

  • There is no vendor, no support contract and no service level, so anything you build on Potree is your organisation’s responsibility to maintain when a browser update breaks rendering.
  • Conversion is a separate manual step with PotreeConverter, and building an automated publishing pipeline around it is engineering work the project does not provide.
  • Rendering quality and performance depend on the client machine and WebGL support, so a client on a locked-down corporate laptop with poor graphics may see a viewer that stutters or fails outright.
  • A WebGPU rewrite, Potree-Next, is in progress and is not a drop-in upgrade, so current integrations face an eventual migration with no vendor to manage it.
  • There is no access control, user management or audit layer; anyone with the URL sees the data unless you build authentication around the static files yourself, which is a real problem for confidential sites.

Pricing, plan by plan

AllTrails

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Trail search
    • Community reviews
    • Basic maps
  • AllTrails+$35.99/year
    • Offline maps
    • Real-time navigation
    • Trail conditions

Potree

Free
  • PotreeFree
    • BSD-style open source licence
    • Unlimited datasets and viewers
    • Self-hosted on any static web server

Which should you pick?

Choose AllTrails if

  • You need trail discovery.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want offline maps.
AllTrails review

Choose Potree if

  • You need octree streaming.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want large dataset rendering.
Potree review

Questions people ask

Is AllTrails or Potree better?
Neither clearly leads. AllTrails starts at Free and Potree at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AllTrails or Potree?
AllTrails starts at Free and Potree at Free.
Does AllTrails or Potree run on more platforms?
AllTrails runs on Ios, Android, Web. Potree runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux.
Can I use AllTrails for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AllTrails best used for?
AllTrails is most often used for trail discovery, hiking navigation, outdoor fitness tracking. Of those, trail discovery and hiking navigation are not what Potree is typically brought in for.
What can AllTrails do that Potree cannot?
AllTrails covers Trail discovery, Offline maps, GPS navigation, Activity recording. Potree covers Octree streaming, Large dataset rendering, Measurement tools, Clipping and profiles.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AllTrails: Is AllTrails free to use?

AllTrails offers both free and paid membership options. The basic free tier allows users to explore trails, see maps, and access core features for discovering hiking and outdoor activities.

Source
Potree: Does Potree cost anything?

No. It is open source and free. You supply the hosting, which for a static viewer is inexpensive.

AllTrails: Can I create custom routes on AllTrails?

Yes, AllTrails allows users to build and edit custom trails. The platform provides route converter tools and options to print custom maps for your own trail designs.

Source
Potree: Is there commercial support?

No. There is no vendor and no support contract. Support is GitHub issues and the community.

Potree: Who maintains it?

It originated at TU Wien and is maintained principally by Markus Schütz, with community contributions.

Potree: Can it handle very large clouds?

Yes, hundreds of millions of points, because PotreeConverter builds a multi-resolution octree that streams only what is visible.

Potree: Is my data private?

Only if you make it so. Potree serves static files with no built-in authentication, so access control is entirely your responsibility.

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